10 Up and Coming British Actors To Watch For At TIFF

For film lovers and pop culture addicts, the Toronto International Film Festival is like Christmas in September. With our city teeming with premieres, parties and A-listers, the festival is a breeding ground for THE NEXT BIG THING.

Here at ANDPOP, we have a slight obsession with the U.K. — okay, maybe a big one. Knowing full well that several of our must-watch films will feature some of our favourite British actors, here’s a list of 10 confirmed guests that we believe should be on your radar.

Yes, we do have a thing for the cast of The Riot Club, but you should really check out its stellar ensemble cast!

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Alice Eve

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Having starred alongside the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch (Starter For 10 and Star Trek: Into Darkness) and Jay Baruchel (She’s Out of My League), Alice Eve will be in town in honour of her romantic leading role. Starring in Chris Evans’ directorial debut, Before We Go, she plays a woman who spends a long, magical night in New York City with a man (Evans) after missing the last train at Grand Central Terminal. Sounds a bit like Serendipity, no?

Before We Go premieres at TIFF on Friday Sept. 12 at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 6:30 pm.

Sam Claflin

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While we may know him as District 4’s male tribute Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games, Sam Claflin enters TIFF as a rowdy student in The Riot Club. In the movie, Claflin plays a first year who joins Oxford University’s Riot Club, an exclusive dinner group where reputations are ruined during the course of a single evening. And from the looks of the trailer, his character Alistair Rhyle seems to take an active role in causing a lot of trouble for his little club!

The Riot Club premieres at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday. September 6 at 9:30 pm.

Rosamund Pike

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Having played a Bond girl and worked with the likes of Tom Cruise and Keira Knightley, you’ll soon be seeing a lot more from actress Rosamund Pike. Not only will she be starring alongside Ben Affleck in the upcoming film Gone Girl, Pike will be at TIFF to support Hector and the Search for Happiness. Directed by Peter Chelsom, the British actress will play the girlfriend of a psychiatrist (Simon Pegg) who embarks on a journey around the globe to find the secret formula to happiness.

Hector and the Search for Happiness premieres at the Elgin/Winter Garden Theatres on Sunday. September 7 at 8:45 pm.

Eddie Redmayne

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With breakout roles in My Week With Marilyn and Les Misérables, Eddie Redmayne comes to TIFF this year with The Theory of Everything as he takes on the important task of playing world famous physicist Stephen Hawking. The film will look at the relationship between him and his first wife, Jane.

By the looks of the trailer, we’re sure this film is going to be one heck of a tearjerker! Do I smell some awards potential here for Mr. Redmayne?

The Theory of Everything premieres at Sunday, September 7 at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 6 p.m.

Felicity Jones

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Winning acclaim for her part in the indie romance Like Crazy, Felicity Jones joins Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking’s first wife, Jane.

From their first meeting, Hawking’s diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to the start of their family, it’s no surprise why their eventful lives and passionate relationship have inspired a movie.

The Theory of Everything premieres at Sunday, September 7 at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 6 p.m.

Max Irons

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The son of actor Jeremy Irons, Max Irons comes to Toronto with a leading role in a gala premiere. Joining a stellar British cast that includes the likes of Sam Claflin, Natalie Dormer and Jessica Brown Findlay, Irons plays one of two young men inducted into an exclusive dinner club made up of privileged and wealthy students in The Riot Club. Taking on the part of Miles, he will have to deal with the urge of fitting in with the club or being with Lauren, a girl who earned her admission to Oxford on merit.

The Riot Club premieres at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday. September 6 at 9:30 pm.

Gemma Arterton

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Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Prince) will be in town to promote her latest flick, Gemma Bovary. In this adaptation of the Gustave Flaubert novel, Arterton plays the titular character, a passionate young Englishwoman whose dull married life in a provincial Norman town steers her towards adultery.

Dan Stevens

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Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens enters a different territory in the thriller The Guest, one of TIFF’s Midnight Madness films. Directed by Adam Wingard, he plays a mysterious yet charming visitor who arrives at the home of a family claiming to be the best friend of their dead son.

Fans still reeling over his exit from Downton Abbey (We’re still not over it!) may want to stay up late to see the actor present his film in the flesh. But for those hoping to relive the magic that was Matthew Crawley may be in for surprise. Not only will his posh British accent be replaced by an American one, his character in The Guest is REALLY DARK.

The Guest premieres at the Ryerson Theatre on Saturday, September 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Holliday Grainger

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While you may have seen her playing the part of Bonnie in the recent television mini-series Bonnie and Clyde, Holliday Grainger will be at TIFF this year as part of The Riot Club‘s impressive ensemble cast. A supporting character in the film, she’ll play Lauren, a girl from a modest family who earns her admission into Oxford University as opposed to many of her privileged peers who’ve won a spot thanks to their family’s legacies.

The Riot Club premieres at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday. September 6 at 9:30 pm.

Jack O’Connell

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What hasn’t Jack O’Connell been in these days? Having played the rebellious James Cook in the British drama Skins, O’Connell’s career took off last year for his intense portrayal of a violent teenage inmate in Starred Up. With several projects releasing within the next year (including Angelina Jolie’s much-anticipated Unbroken), O’Connell comes to TIFF with ’71, in which he plays a rookie British soldier who finds himself separated from his unit and lost in IRA-controlled territory.

Make sure you go see him before he gets too famous! Because at the rate he’s going, he’ll be BLOWING UP soon!

’71 premieres at Princess of Wales Theatre on Wednesday. September 10 at 7:00 pm.

Samantha Lui is a writer living in Toronto. When she isn't writing, shooting videos or interviewing people, she can be found alone at the movie theater. You can follow her on Twitter (@samanthalui_) or find out more on her site samanthalui.ca.